Happy August!

My first day of vacation has been spent with my niece and nephew watching G-Force (cute), going to Chic-fil-a, and trying to win Jonas Brothers Concert tickets from Radio Disney. Oh, we also stopped at the bookstore and then at Wally World to pick up a few much needed supplies.

I plan on spending the rest of the day reading an AWESOME book (review to follow on Monday)and doing laundry, which of course has piled up since I've been working all week.

Excitingly enough, the birthday countdown has begun. My birthday is now in 22 days and no, I'm not going to figure out hours and minutes for you! (Not a math major.) In any case, on occasion, my family tends to ask me what I would like. SO this year, I'm creating a list...

{**=REALLY want}

**New camera (mine is pretty temperamental and I'm going on a vacation soon and need a decent camera)

**Gift Cards to: (many people think this is a cop-out; however, I LOVE these babies.)

• Grocery Stores (Publix and Sweetbay are closest)
• Walmart
• Bookstores (Borders; Amazon; Christianbook)
• Gas Cards (7-11; Racetrack; Hess)

CD-Player/Radio (even better if it's an alarm clock too-I've had mine since 5th grade)

Laptop (I'm still researching the kind I want--Judy if you're reading, email me!)

An MP-3 Player. [My Zune has bit the dust (AGAIN!) and I'm sick of dealing with it, so I think I'm going to jump ship and go the iPod route.]

I'm sure I could come up with a rather lengthy list, but this is only my birthday. However, these items will probably be on my Christmas List too! (hint...hint...)

Have a wonderful August!

"Daniel" by Elton John

Cloud 9 has tagged me for this funny meme. Here are the rules:

Put your iTunes/Other music device on shuffle. For each question, press the next button to get your answer. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS! Tag friends who might enjoy doing this.

I own a Zune and haven't put too much music on it yet, so this could be interesting. :)

IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY? "Surrender" by Jeremy Camp
WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? "Across the Earth" by Hillsong
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? "And Now My LifeSong Sings" by Casting Crowns
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? "Beneath the Surface" by Souljahz
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE? "The Point of No Return"-Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? "Angel of Music"-Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? "When She Cries" by Britt Nicole
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS? "Start Over Again" by Addison Road
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? "Hallelujah" by Nicol Sponberg
WHAT IS 2+2? "This Is Our God" by Hillsong
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? "Made to Love" by Toby Mac
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? "Save the Last Dance for Me" by Michael Buble
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? "Satisfy" by Jeff Deyo
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? "Worship" by Souljahz
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? "Gimme That Funk" by Group 1 Crew
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? "Our Hope Endures" by Natalie Grant
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? "Love Them Like Jesus" by Casting Crowns
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? "Dance In the River" by Passion
WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN? "True Love Waits" by Souljahz
HOW WILL YOU DIE? "I See You" by Group 1 Crew
DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU? "Speaking Louder Than Before" by Jeremy Camp
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? "Here I AM to Worship" by Passion
WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW? "Worlds Apart" by Jars of Clay
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR DAY? "Let It Fade" by Jeremy Camp
HOW’S YOUR LOVE LIFE? "What This World Needs" by Casting Crowns
IF YOUR LIFE WAS A TV SHOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE CALLED? "I Give You My Heart" by Jeff Deyo
WHAT’S YOUR PARTY SONG? "Come Thou Fount" by Passion
WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR A LIVING? "I Am Nothing" by Jeremy Camp
WHAT WAS THE WEATHER LIKE TODAY? "Wonderful King" by Passion
WHAT WAS/WILL GRADUATION (BE) LIKE FOR YOU? "Sing to You" by Jeff Deyo
WHAT WERE YOUR DREAMS LIKE LAST NIGHT? "He" by Jars of Clay
WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS? "Daniel" by Elton John

Okay--my Zune likes Jeremy Camp too because a lot of the songs were by him. This is pretty funny. If you've had a rough day like I have, consider yourself tagged! (Even if you haven't had a rough day--TAG-YOU'RE IT!!!)

I'm ba-aa-ck!

I spent Thanksgiving at my real Dad's house in Abilene, Texas, and it snowed! Yes-REALLY! While I lived there it never snowed (thank you Lord!), but over the three days I was there for vacation, it did. For those of you that live in the northern regions, you're probably wondering what the big deal is, but I moved to Florida when I was 12--and haven't seen snow since then, so this was a BIG deal!

My step-brothers were making fun of me because I kept looking outside to see if it was still there. After we ate, I went outside to play for a little bit. Let me tell you, after 10 minutes, the thrill was gone. Unfortunately, my brothers decided to lock me outside in the freezing cold! No, I'm not exaggerating--look at the temperature!

In any case, I made some snow bears. The snow wasn't wet enough to roll and make a proper snowman, but I was able to pack it and make the mommy and baby snow bears.

Thankfully, my Dad finally felt sorry for me and let me back in. He had the fireplace roaring, so it didn't take long for me to thaw out. Yippee!

Unfortunately I was only there for three days, so we didn't get a chance to do too much. I didn't even get a chance to see my friends, which was a bummer because there's only so much t.v. that I can watch at a time. We did venture out for a bit on Black Friday

and I was given my Christmas present early--a Zune!!!! (It's Microsoft's answer to the iPod.) Yea--I can finally listen to my music everywhere I go--especially at the airport when I had to leave on a 6:30 am flight. Yep--you read it correctly--that was A.M.--as in o'dark early! It was so early, that I was able to see the sunrise from the plane.

Now, I'm back in sunny Florida! Just look at the pictures I took from the plane!

HELLO TAMPA!!!

In any case, I'm now back to the daily grind and I'm trying to get everything finished before Christmas. YIKES!

Prayer Request:

I'm in the process of looking for another job--whether it's still in the library profession or something completely different--I'm open. God and I have been discussing many things here recently and change is one of them. I've been holding some things very closely (computer time, job, finances, etc.), and He's telling me that I need to loosen my grip and trust Him to take care of me. (Kind of hard for someone that has to do everything for herself or it doesn't get done.) Just keep me in your prayers. Thank you!!!